by Christian Neff - Co-founder of DXG and CEO of Markentive
Aug 10, 2021
As such, the CRM “is one of the company's assets” and contains (in theory) all the accounts, contacts, opportunities and other databases, as well as all exchanges and the history of interactions.
In an ideal world, the tool is also connected to the website in order to manage inbound leads, as well as to marketing automation tools to drive campaigns, and to invoicing and ERP-type tools to ensure the delivery of the offer or to keep the accounts up to date.
With this key central position in the structure, changing CRM can be scary and raises a number of questions! Along with our experts, we have tried to provide you with the method, context and a good dose of pragmatism to facilitate your decision making. Onward!
Why go so far as to change CRM?
While on paper changing CRM may seem complicated (and may seem off-putting), we have actually observed that in many situations, this decision has turned out to be an excellent option. In addition to any general dissatisfaction you have with your CRM tool, here are some situations that should convince you to question your existing CRM ASAP:
1. The CRM has little or no connection to other tools
Although this is not sufficient reason to change your business management software, the fact that your CRM software is only connected to a few other applications will simplify the migration process. A serious advantage when the time comes to unplug the existing system!
2. The entire IT ecosystem is being redesigned
When a company evolves or experiences sustained growth, its application ecosystem will potentially become less and less suited to supporting its development. If you therefore find yourself having to change your ERP, redesign your website, etc... then it is the right time to question your CRM, especially since some CRMs include CMS, customer relationship management tools, and much more. A great window of opportunity!
3. The current CRM is undersized
Yes, in a digitalised world, it is true that many CRM systems and in particular certain business tools are undersized when you need to move up a gear. To be effective in prospecting and conducting business, the CRM must be able to embed tools that make selling effective and productive, such as meeting links, email templates, automatic tasks, etc.
4. The current CRM is oversized
Conversely, while “what can do more can do less”, having a very advanced custom CRM tool to manage simple processes can prove to be counterproductive. The costs are generally too high in terms of licence and maintenance, while the regular evolution requires technical skills leading to delays and costs. Many companies have thus abandoned complex tools like Salesforce or Microsoft Dynamics in favour of platforms like HubSpot or Pipedrive.
5. The current CRM is not used
By abandoning a system you do not use, you are not losing much! An underused tool is generally the consequence of a certain number of dysfunctions, such as a disengagement of management, systematic re-entry, obsolete data… it is then a CRM only in name and becomes the butt of jokes in the company. So, we may as well look at the subject afresh and consider a new tool!
6. The CRM is not open enough
Given that the target vision is to put the CRM at the heart of driving the customer experience and performance, if the software you have is too closed and cannot be interfaced with other solutions (ERP, Factu, marketing automation, etc…), you will run into certain difficulties. You will not be able to reap the benefits of automation and will experience a lot of friction by constantly re-entering data. Choose a CRM with an open API environment!
7. The CRM is simply badly configured
While it is always painful to have to lay the blame at the door of software publishers, integrators, management or the previous IS Director, sometimes you have to face the facts. The CRM is poorly integrated, does not meet expectations and despite the investments, “it will not cut the mustard”.
Once this has been accepted, all you have to do is consider migration to another tool or a redesign, which beyond the frustration and the feeling of wasted time can turn out to be a real opportunity. Paying ongoing licence costs for an unsuitable tool that does not support many employees in their daily mission, is often much more serious than swallowing the configuration costs incurred 5 years or more ago.
Of course, the list presented to this point is not exhaustive, and there are many reasons that may force you into a change of CRM, for example a takeover or a merger with another company. Usually it is an accumulation of sub-optimisations and difficulties that lead you to take this decision, and it is not uncommon to tick multiple boxes in the list presented so far. So when the limit is reached, it is time to act! But once the decision is made, how should we go about it?
What are the steps to successfully switching CRM?
No need to panic! While changing CRM in a complex environment can prove to be a delicate exercise, it is not insurmountable. Here is a checklist of the steps we believe you need to consider:
1. Check the contract conditions of the current CRM publisher
It may sound silly, but it can be worth the hit/cost and save you some surprises. It is not uncommon for contracts with CRM publishers to be tacitly renewed for several years. If you have decided to “go elsewhere”, consider covering your back and anticipating these questions as well as possible to organise your migration.
2. Perform an audit of customer relationship management and common use cases
The current CRM project has been a failure and it would obviously be advantageous not to repeat these mistakes. By selecting representative user groups (salespeople, managers, sales admin, etc.), try to document the difficulties encountered and the must have / nice to have features from the different teams. This will help make sure you leave nothing out and make the CRM project serve the users! Guaranteed efficiency promotes adoption.
3. Choose a new CRM
You initiated this change of tool partly because the solution in place was unsuitable. This is of course where you need to ensure you do not repeat the same mistake and choose your customer relationship management solution carefully. At Markentive, we advise a number of companies in the choice of their CRM with a true methodology, known as “double diamond”, to which we have also dedicated a webinar.
4. Draft “real” specifications and a tactical framework
If you have identified the scope, the needs of your teams and chosen a tool that meets your needs, you are on the right track! You then have to carry out an in-depth specification to frame the data modelling and governance, while covering third-party integrations and data migration. Depending on the scope of the project, appoint a person responsible for this and allow between 3 and 12 weeks. The clearer things are when put on paper and validated by the stakeholders, the fewer surprises you will have when you get your hands dirty!
5. Implement the solution and manage the data migration
If your specifications and your data migration plan are ready, all you have to do is configure the tool in line with your decisions. Test the migration and the data import with a small data set, before making the complete and most up-to-date import just before the final migration. While this is open to some discussion depending on the context, most of the time, we recommend a fairly clean approach in terms of migration to avoid having 2 coexistent tools creating confusion for users. Make a “big bang” and take the opportunity to lay the foundations for adoption of the CRM.
6. Train the users of the Customer Relationship Management tool
User training is a key step in the adoption process. On the day of the training, make sure that all users have an operational environment with access to their data and the history of their customers or accounts. From that point on, the new CRM is the only tool they need to use.
And there it is, your new CRM is in the hands of your users! Remember, however, that a CRM project never ends and it is up to you to keep it alive. Beyond monitoring the adoption, try to employ a continuous improvement mentality.
All the indicators and dashboards available make a CRM an important tool for measuring the efficiency of your business processes and for improving your practices! With the evolution of technologies and the arrival of new third-party integrations, put yourself in the best position to support your users by allowing them to benefit from all these advances. We also invite you to watch our webinar on continuous improvement of the CRM to take it further. Do not hesitate to ask our experts to help you set up your CRM project.
